What kind of bird is a kite?

Kite is a general name for a small raptor. Kites belong to the order Falconiformes, Accipitridae, and subfamily Kite, with 5 genera and 8 species.

Kites have long and narrow wings, a deeply forked tail, a weak beak, and their two legs are only suitable for grabbing insects, frogs and small reptiles, and they also eat scavengers when food is scarce. All kinds of kites are good at making graceful and lasting soaring movements in the sky. They are widely distributed on all continents of the world. The main distribution areas of eagles in China are Tibet, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai, and the Bashan luxuriant forest areas such as Ankang and Shangluo in southern Shaanxi.

The appearance characteristics of the kite:

1. Accipitridae: The incisal edge of the beak has an arc-shaped vertical process, which is suitable for tearing prey and swallowing it. The base is usually covered with wax film or whisker-like feathers. The wings are strong, broad, round and blunt, and are good at hovering and soaring at high altitudes for a long time.

2. Accipitridae: The length difference between the tibia and tarsometatarsus is not as long as the hind claws, that is, the tarsometatarsal part is longer. The buzzard, eagle, and kite all have longer tibia and shorter tarsometatarsus.

3. Black-eared Kite: The upper body is dark brown, with brown feather stripes from the top of the head to the shoulders. The tail is forked and has dark brown spots. There are black and brown feather trunk lines on the chest, upper abdomen and both ribs. The underparts are brown, and the feather colors vary greatly. The underparts of adult birds are mostly dark brown, and white spots on the inner wings of the wings can be seen when flying. The head and belly of the young bird are covered with vertical stripes. The ear feathers are brown, the cheeks and throat are earthy white, with brown feather trunk lines, the eyes are dark brown, and the mouth is horny. The feet are brown and the claws are black.